The Main Street Approach is a unique economic development strategy that focuses on leveraging existing social, economic, physical and cultural assets to energize community revitalization efforts and help manage success for the long term.

Organization

Builds consensus and partnerships between the many vested stakeholders throughout a downtown to create a volunteer base in which everyone is working toward the same goal. A governing board of directors and standing committees make up the fundamental organizational structure of volunteer-driven revitalization programs. Volunteers are coordinated and supported by a paid program director. This structure not only divides the workload and clearly delineates responsibilities, but also builds consensus and cooperation among the various stakeholders for ongoing management.

Promotion

Creates a positive image of the downtown to instill community pride and encourage commercial activity and investment in the area. Promotions such as advertising, retail and special events, marketing and social media campaigns can be used to communicate the unique characteristics of a downtown to residents and visitors — sparking interest in shopping, dining, living or investing and creating a business in the community.

Design

Capitalizes on and enhances the visual aspects of downtown commercial areas to create a safe, appealing and inviting atmosphere. The physical elements such as the storefronts and building architecture, streetscape, public art, street furniture, parking areas, and public spaces are used to convey a positive image for the downtown. Quality maintenance practices such as historic building rehabilitation, adaptive use, appropriate new development, a design review process and long term planning are also strategies used to enhance the physical appearance of a downtown.

Economic Vitality

Strengthens the existing economic assets while diversifying the economic base of the downtown to support and improve profitability. The goal is to build a strong commercial district that supports today’s consumers by providing a balanced commercial mix, supporting and expanding existing businesses, recruiting new businesses, developing infill space, and converting unused or underused commercial space into economically productive property.

Community Vision and Market Understanding

The vision provides a foundation for outlining the community’s identity, expectations and ideals for future development while being grounded in an understanding of the market and what is feasible.

Transformation Strategies Implemented Using the Main Street Four Point

These strategies will focus on and identify long-term and short-term actions that once achieved, will help move a community closer to implementing their vision.

Implementation and Measurement

The Main Street Organization must show visible results that can only come from implementing action items and completing projects in the short-term and long-term. The changes occurring in Main Street Districts can be quantified by new jobs added, new businesses open, buildings redeveloped and other metrics of success.

Main Street Oakland County is the only county wide coordinating program with the National Main Street Center.

Established in 1980 as a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Main Street Center, Inc. works with a nationwide network of coordinating programs and local communities to encourage preservation-based community revitalization. National Main Street Center has led the development of a national network of over 2,000 historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts: Main Street America™

As a nonprofit organization, the National Main Street Center provides information, offers technical assistance, holds conferences and workshops, and conducts research and advocacy on critical revitalization issues. Cumulatively, historic commercial districts taking part in the Main Street program have spurred the rehabilitation of more than 246,000 buildings, and generated $59.6 billion in new investment, with a net gain of more than 502,728 new jobs, and over 115,000 new businesses. Every dollar a community uses to support its local Main Street program leverages an average of $18 in new investment, making Main Street one of the most successful economic development strategies in America.

The National Main Street Center is based in Chicago, Illinois. For more information, visit www.mainstreet.org.

In 2015, Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) expanded its program to include three tiers.  The tiers are currently:

• Select
• Partner (formerly Associate)
• Allied (formerly Affiliate)

We added these levels because we recognize that not all of our communities and commercial corridors can meet the qualifications necessary to be Nationally Accredited by the National Main Street Center in Chicago.  However, we believe all downtowns and commercial corridors can benefit from the Main Street approach.

Take a look and see where your community can fit into the MSOC program.

All communities enter the Main Street program at the Partner or Allied Level.  Take a look at these sheets for more information on each level:

• Select Level Application Overview
• Partner Level Application Overview (formerly Associate)
• Allied Level Application Overview (formerly Affiliate)